Safety device for excavations



INVENTOR 406087 J KAMVBVBEQG J1me 1965 A. J. KANNENBERG SAFETY DEVICE FOR EXCAVATIONS Filed March 1, 1962 United States Patent Office 3l8r6,1'7-7 Patented June 1, 1965 3,186,177 SAFETY DEVICE FOR EXCAVATIONS August J. Kannenberg, 219 W. Salem, Indianola, Iowa Filed Mar. 1, 1962, Ser. No. 176,557 4 Claims. (Cl. 61-41) This invent-ion relates generally to shoring devices, and more specifically to an adjustable light weight bracing apparatus to prevent the collapse of trench walls whilst men are working therebet-ween.

The danger of wonking in deep trenches has long been recognized, and many complicated devices have been devised for use in shoring the sides of trenches. eral, these devices have proved exceedingly time consuming in erection, and once erected, they may not be simply moved along the trench as work progresses. My invention is directed to a simple shoring device which is adjustable in width and may be manually moved longitudinally within the trench to permit a safe working area at all times.

It is therefore a primary object of this invention to provide an adjustable shoring device which is constructed of light material and may be assembled entirely by hand without any mechanical devices or supplementary hydraulic jack equipment.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a shoring device of the above class which is rugged and simple to erect, and may be constructed at reasonable cost.

A full understanding of the construction of this invention, together with further novel features and advantages, will be had from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof, taken in conjunction with the attached drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a cross sectional end elevation of an excavation or ditch having the shoring device of my invention assembled therein for supporting the sides of the excavation.

FIG. 2 is a plan view taken along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view showing one side of the shoring device.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the reinforced inner side of the shoring panels.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of two pivotally connected cross struts which are adjustably positioned between the ends of the shoring panel-s.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a similar cross strut assembly which locates .between the other ends of the panels.

Similar reference characters indicate correspond-ing parts throughout the several views in the drawings.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, the numeral 8 represents an excavated ditch having a floor 9 and spaced vertical sides '10. The shore panels, seen best in FIGS. 3 and 4, are constructed with square side sheet 11, and are preferably made from quarter inch aluminum sheet. The inner side 12 of each sheet is reinforced by vertically disposed U shaped channels 13 which are suitably welded or otherwise secured adjacent each end 14 of the sheet. Further reinforcement is afforded by horizontally extending U shaped channels 15 which extend between the inner sides of the channels 13 and are equally spaced apart so as to reinforce the entire sheet.

The vertical channels 13 have spaced parallel flanges 16 extending inwardly to form a groove or slot 17 which ex- In gentends the entire depth of the sheet. Holes 18 are formed in alignment through the flanges 16 and are vertically spaced from one another to provide an adjustable anchorage for pairs of cross struts 19. The cross struts comprise two bars 20 having holes 21 drilled through each end and being pivotally connected at their centre by means of a rivet 22. The ends of the cross struts are received in the grooves 17 of opposing channels 13 and are locked therewithin by means of removable pins 23 which locate through the holes 18. A safety chain 24 extends between the upper ends of the bar 20, as seen in FIGS. 5 and 6.

Adjustable safety bars 25 comprise two strips 26 having spaced holes 27 formed therethrough to receive pins 28, such that the strips may be assembled together so as to span the width of the excavation. The protruding ends 29 of the adjustable safety bars locate between angle brackets 30 which are mounted on the inner sides of the Side sheets 11 and adjacent the upper edge 31 thereof. Pins 32 extend through the brackets and the ends 29 of the safety bars so as to be pivotally related thereto, and thereby permitting the bars to be pivoted into abutment with the horizontal channels 15 for transportation purposes.

Further safety chains such as 33 may be connected between the lower ends of the channels 13 as indicated in FIG. 1, of the drawing. It will be appreciated that it is intended to construct the entire device from light alloys such as aluminum, thereby enabling the assembly to be simply lifted and moved longitudinally of the excavation so as to provide constant protection to those working therein.

Having described the invention with considerable particularity, it should be understood that various modifications may be made to the precise detail thereof, without depart-ing from the scope or spirit of the invention, as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An adjustable shoring device for temporarily supporting the sides of an excavation, comprising; two side sheets having top, bottom, and end edges, U shaped channels extending substantially from top to bottom of said sheets, one channel at each end of each sheet, said channels secured to said sheets with the sides of the channels substantially at right angle to the sheets forming grooves, the sheets arranged side by side with said grooves opposite and facing each other, each channel having a hole extending through both sides near the top of the channel, and an identical hole near the bottom of the channel, two pairs of cross struts, the struts of each pair being pivotally secured together near their centers, each stnut having a hole through each end, one pair of cross struts located at each end of the pair of sheets with one end of each cross strut in a groove near the top of said groove, and the other end in the opposite groove, near the bottom of said groove, a plurality of pins, a different pin passing through each hole in each end of a strut and through the corre sponding holes in a channel.

2. The combination of claim 1, which includes extendable safety bars extending between the upper edges of the side sheets.

3. The combination of claim 1, in which there is a chain connecting the upper ends of one pair of struts and another chain connecting the upper ends of the other pair of struts.

.3 t 4 4. The combination of claim 1, in which there is a plu- 2,482,367 9/49 Ravers 61-41 ra-lity of longitudinally spaced holes at the top of each 2,633,713 4/53 Shields 614l channel and a' plurality of longitudinally spaced holes at 2,866,320 12/58 Bazzell 61-41 the bottom of each channel, so that the Width of the device will be determined by the set of holes that are selected 5 FOREIGN PATENTS for use. 537,585 11/51 Germany.

References Cited by the Examiner EARL J. WITMER, Primary Examiner.

UNITED STATE PATENTS WILLIAM I. MUSHAKE, JACOB L. NACKENOFF,

2,246,623 6/,41 Dorey 61- -41 10 Examiners. 

1. AN ADJUSTABLE SHORING DEVICE FOR TEMPORARILY SUPPORTING THE SIDES OF AN EXCAVATION, COMPRISING; TWO SIDE SHEETS HAVING TOP, BOTTOM, AND END EDGES, U SHAPED CHANNELS EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY FROM TOP TO BOTTOM OF SAID SHEETS, ONE CHANNEL OF EACH END OF EACH SHET, SAID CHANNELS SECURED TO SAID SHEETS WITH THE SIDES OF THE CHANNELS SUBSTANTIALLY AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE SHEETS FORMING GROOVES, THE SHEETS ARRANGAED SIDE BY SIDE WITH SAID GROOVES OPPOSITE AND FACING EACH OTHER, EACH CHANNEL HAVING A HOLE EXTENDING THROUGH BOTH SIDES NEAR THE TOP OF THE CHANNEL, AND AN IDENTICAL HOLE NEAR THE BOTTOM OF THE CHANNEL, TWO PAIRS OF CROSS STRUTS, THE STRUTS OF EACH PAIR BEING PIVOTALLY SECURE TOGETHER NEAR THEIR CENTERS, EACH STRUT HAVING A HOLE THROUGH EACH END, ONE PAIR OF CROSS STRUTS LOCATED AT EACH END OF THE PAIR OF SHEETS WITH ONE END OF EACH CROSS
 2. THE COMBINATION OF CLAIM 1, WHICH INCLUDES EXTENDABLE SAFTETY BARS EXTENDING BETWEEN THE UPPER EDGES OF THE SIDE SHEETS. AND CAUSING MOTION OF THE CARRIAGE ALONG THE AXIS OF THE BED WITH ROTATION OF THE SCREW; AND MEANS ON SAID CARRIAGE COMPRISING A CROSS SLIDE GUIDEWAY, THE GUIDEWAY EXTENDING TRANSVERSE TO THE AXIS OF THE BED AND BEING ORIENTED TO AN ACUTE ANGLE TO THE VERTICAL. 